Zach, age 7, is a true cowboy. He showed up to his interview dressed to the nines in head-to-toe western gear – belt buckle included! When we asked him what his Dream was, he knew immediately that he wanted to go to a dude ranch with his family and ride a horse. “It was awesome!” said his mother. 

When Zach arrived at Mayan Dude Ranch in Bandera, TX, the ‘Cowboy Capital of the World’, he was immediately off to a meet & greet with the ranch horses. When it was time to pick his horse for the week, he chose Comanche. “Comanche only had one eye and Zach was really drawn to her,” his mother told us. “He said, ‘I am like her right eye because she doesn’t have one.’ He just loved her, and she was so sweet.” 

In addition to daily trail rides, Zach got to take lasso lessons. “He learned so many cool lasso tricks,” his mother told us. “We came home with a lasso and a bull-whip!”  

Zach also saw a reenactment of a cowboy shootout, took a hike to see real dinosaur fossils, played fun family games after dinner, and spent his afternoons cooling off in the pool. Zach even got to meet and sit on a longhorn! 

They also ate *really* well! “There was SO much food. We ate ALL the time!” his mother exclaimed. For breakfast, you take a hayride to a spot deep in the ranch and they cook a cowboy breakfast over an open flame and serve it all on a chuck wagon.” Dinner was anything from BBQ to Mexican to steaks and catfish! 

“The ranch was really family friendly,” Zach’s mother said. “You felt like you had a great rapport with the ranchers. The whole trip was just amazing. I loved the hospitality and the feel of the ranch – very homelike,” she added. 

Zach’s mother’s highlight was seeing Zach in his cowboy element. “He wore his western gear every single day – even in the heat! He was full-on cowboy the entire time we were there.” 

“It was so nice just to be able to do something fun together. When Zach was in the hospital, he was separated from his brothers a lot. For us to be able to do something together meant so much,” his mother reflected.  

We are so happy Zach got to spend some time on the ranch surrounded by horses, cowboys, and most importantly, his family. We are thankful for the generosity of Mayan Dude Ranch and for our partnership with #ChartwayPromiseFoundaiton for helping to fund this Dream for Zach.